Adios Argentina !

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Buenos dias amigos!

For the last couple of weeks we have been up and down some of the most picturesque valleys of northern Argentina.

Argentina is such a huge country with so many completely different environments, it's like another country here in the Northern provinces compared to Patagonia. Some people say that Tucuman (where I left you last time) is like a dividing point, south of Tucuman being an Argentina more similar to Europe with the majority of people being of European stock and north of Tucuman being much more Andean territory, where the inhabitants are darker skinned, of mixed Indian and Spanish origin and more similar to Bolivians or Peruvians than to Europeans. We have found that more or less to be true and have loved experiencing a completely different culture from all that we are used to. The culture shock lacked a little in Patagonia but it cetainly doesn't here!

Before leaving Tucuman we went on a little two day tour around the Yungas Valley to get our legs back into practice after out two week break. Yungas is the word used to describe the dense, verdant subtropical forest we cycled through and we were amazed by just how green and fertile the area was with huge jungle type plants, flowers and lush green vegetation fighting for place on both sides of the road. We climbed a little in altitude over the rolling hills and through some villages with some very posh huge mansions where the rich from Tucuman come to escape the heat of the city. We also passed a polo match which is a very popular sport in Argentina for the few who can afford the equipment and the horse.

In the evening, in contrast to the huge mansions around we camped in the garden of a small modest bakery and watched and tried to help(!) Juan Carlos the baker, his wife Muriel and his 70 year old mother make the bread for the next day. They stayed up working all night, we went to bed when it got late and woke up just in time to see the bread being cooked in the morning. When the bread was ready we had breakfast together while his mother chatted away on top form, not tired at all, apparently she's been working like that since she was about 15 years old. Around 8.00am Juan Carlos left to spend all morning making his deliveries. He apparently almost never sleeps, only on Saturday night as the bakery is closed on Sunday. The family have four children at school in Tucuman and so can't afford to pay other employees. It looked to be a very hard life. However the day we left it was Friday and they were exceptionally closing the bakery to go to a huge family party for the fifteenth birthday of a niece. As Muriel pointed out, only the Argentines would close their shop for a party! They explained though that this was a special occasion as a girls fifteenth birthday is her most important because at fifteen she officially becomes a woman (pretty young I'd say). For a boy in contrast, he has to wait until eighteen to become a man.

After out little tour around Tucuman we stayed a couple more days in the city before leaving again as we had a few things to do and I had a bit of a dodgy stomach. In the south we had no problems with stomach stuff as the water from the mountains was so pure and there were much less inhabitants to contaminate the supply. However recently dodgy stomachs have started to become a bit more of a problem and apparently Bolivia will be a lot worse. Ah the joys of travelling!

When we finally left Tucuman we only cycled a short day to arrive in Santa Lucia a town established for the workers in the sugar cane and citrus fields around the town. Tucuman produces the most sugar cane in Argentina and in the nineteenth century was one of the most important towns in the country. However it was easy to see that not much of the wealth had reached this small town which was the poorest we'd seen in the area. We'd been warned to be a little careful in the area as there was a fair bit of theft, so as there was no accommodation in the town we camped in the safest place, the garden of the police station!

The following day we had a huge climb from about 500m altitude to 2000m through the narrow gorge of the Rio de los Sosasto. The scenery was beautiful but with the sun beating down it was quite hard work, especially just after lunch with difficult digestion! One thing a really like about climbing or descending in altitude on the bike though is you really appreciate the changes in vegetation. In the day we passed through the rich Yungas forest to arrive in an area of much sparser trees and bushes which finally opened onto the higher plains in the much wider sandy, stony valley surrounded by the peaks of the Sierra del Aconquija where the only trees and bushes are found along the rivers and around the villages.

After our huge climb we camped in the small village of El Mollar by a large Dique (reservoir). From this point onwards the scenery was completely different from anything we'd seen before. We were in Andean territory with small villages with narrow sandy streets and adobe houses. This particular valley was very rich and there were quite a few goats and llamas and lots of fields of potatoes and corn. From El Mollar we made a detour around a smaller valley off the main route and passed through many small quaint villages before arriving at the larger, touristy, verdant village of Tafi de Valle, another retreat for the rich. After a delicious meal of BBQed goat and a good nights sleep we had another high climb to cross a pass at 3050m. This time however the climb was gentler and we were able to enjoy the immense panoramic views of the valley below. From the pass most rivers flow in the direction of Tafi del Valle, there is only one river flowing in the other direction and so this part of the Calchaquies Valley, named after the Indians who inhabited the area, is relatively arid. However the scenery was still impressive as we found ourselves descending on a winding road through immense fields of huge cacti. As we approached the village of Amaicha del Valle, where we spent the night, we past lots of small traditional settlements some with piles of rocks outside creating alters where gifts can be left to the Pachamama.

In villages of the Calchaquies Valley there is a lot of evidence of the Indians who inhabited the area from up to 5000 years ago. We made a short detour from the road to visit the most impressive of the ruins, the site Quilmes, which is the ruins of an Indian village and fortress from 1000AD. When the Incas arrived around the 15th century they took over most of the existing groups of Indians and reigned for only a short time, about 50 years, until the Spanish arrived. The Quilmes Indians resisted the Incas and then the Spanish for almost 150 years until eventually the last remaining members were captured, enslaved and made to walk to Buenos Aires. Most of them died on the way. The settlement we visited (after an initial wrong turn when we cycled and pushed through 5km of sand in the sweltering sun before realising it was the wrong road and turning back!) was the ruins of a fortress built up the side of the mountain and the city below. The overall view was quite spectacular but ,as we have seen in many sites in the north, there was very little information and the guide who was there to explain things stayed in the shade by the entrance reading the sports section of the paper!

After visiting the ruins we cycled a little further up the valley and camped in the garden of a hotel. We camp all over the place! The following day was only a short stretch to Cafayate. Cafayate is a relatively well known touristy village where a good amount of wine is produced. Approaching the village we passed through a few vineyards and so had to make a few stops to do a bit of tasting! The wine was very good in general but the area is especially famous for its Torrentes white wine, a variety only made in this region. We stayed a couple of days in the village as it was a very pleasant place for a break with lots of beautiful colonial architecture, picturesque surrounding countryside, a lively central square with cafes and restaurants around and of course lots of nice wine!

From Cafayate as we continued north along the Calchaquies Valley the scenery changed considerably. mainly because 20km after the village the asphalt came to an end and the only way to continue was on a sandy, bumpy track. The hard work pedalling was well compensated for by the fact that there was much less traffic on this road because most take an alternative asphalt road directly from Cafayate to Salta and the villages have been more preserved and have conserved and even more traditional way of life.

The scenery through this part of the valley was spectacular. At first the valley was very barren but we were amazed by the incredible rock formations and narrow canyons sculpted into all sorts of forms by the wind and the rain. After cycling up and down hills, passing a few hamlets and through several small passages between the rocks we stayed the night in a small village like an oasis in this strange lunar landscape. The following day with the change of a flowing river the valley became greener and we passed fields of onions and peppers. The road was so narrow at some points that only one vehicle could pass and at times, with the rock cliffs on one side and lush trees and plants on the other, we felt like we were on a walk on a trekking route, not on the main road through the valley. Fortunately for us there were little villages at strategic points all along the way so we were always able to buy what we needed and have relaxing rest stops under the trees of the village squares. The architecture in the villages was strangely elaborate with even many of the simple adobe houses having neoclassical columns or arches.

At the end of the valley (for us) we arrived in Cachi, another slightly touristy, very attractive little village. We had another rest day there, enjoying the very relaxed and slow pace of life and watching the occasional gaucho in full traditional dress wandering through the square.

From Cachi we decided to leave the valley and head down to Salta, a city that had been highly recommended to us. To reach the city was not easy: we had to climb from Cachi at 2200m through a national park of Cacti up to a pass at 3350m. It wasn't too hard as the first part of the road was asphalt but just after lunch we hit the gravel road and a head wind. For the first time I noticed a little the effects of altitude, feeling a little more short of breath than usual. At around 3200m the road flattened out a little and as we progressed slowly across a high plain we were cycling in the clouds and at some points could only see for a few metres around. Finally we reached the top and to my huge disappointment the downhill, which should have been one of the most beautiful we have done with a winding road and amazing views, was all in the clouds. To make matters worse we had been in the burning sun in the morning and now freewheeling downhill in the clouds it was freezing!! My panniers got lighter and lighter as we put on more and more clothes on the way down. After 20km of descent, teeth chattering, we found a little hosteria and a warm bed. Hurrah!

The following day we were able to enjoy the rest of the twisting downhill under a warm sun and after a bit more pedalling on the flat we reached the city of Salta. We'd heard loads of great things about Salta and so as is always the way we were a little disappointed by the city. It wasn't as great as we expected it would be. The city has some superb colonial architecture and was quite pleasant but not necessarily more special than the other Argentinean cities we have visited.

We spent five days in Salta, preparing a few things before Bolivia and visiting the sights of the city. The highlight of our stay was on Saturday night when went out looking for a restaurant and bars and ended up in a Peña, a restaurant with a show with folk music, tango, comedians and the best bit: four young good-looking gauchos in full gaucho regalia of heeled boots, baggy white three-quarter trousers, large decorated leather belts, white shirts, red and black ponchos in the colours of Salta, (different regions have different colours of Ponchos) and cowboy hats. They impressed everybody with traditional gaucho dances, lots of jumping around and stamping feet and poncho waving! The evening was marred later however when I was dragged on stage to be the object of a romantic balled sung by four young men. It was so embarrassing I didn't know what to do. The only consolation was that no one knew mw and Edouard forgot to take a photo of my beetroot face!

From Salta we set off on route to Bolivia, which meant cycling through the World Heritage listed Quebrada de Humahuaca (Quebrada meaning Valley / Canon). This valley was the colonial route from the silver mines in Potosi in Bolivia to Buenos Aires and until 17 years ago there was still a train that ran up and down the valley. Now the villages on the way have been abandoned by the train and survive only on irrigated agriculture, limited livestock and tourism. People come from all over the world to see the amazing colours of the canyon caused by the different sedimentary layers exposed when the valley was formed and to visit the quaint villages with their historic churches and houses. We spent about a week cycling up the valley ooohing and aahhing at the scenery and stopping for a night or a day in some of the little villages. As we approached closer to Bolivia we saw more and more traditionally dressed locals with colourful skirts, ponchos and hats coming into the villages from the countryside around to buy and sell their local produce. Also as we climbed in altitude the weather got considerably colder. Fortunately for us everything is so much cheaper here than in the rest of Argentina so we mostly stayed in warm little hospedajes (guest houses) in the villages. We also ate more often in restaurants and especially enjoyed the ´almuerzos´ a popular set lunch consisting of a small first dish of empanadas or vegetables and rice or something similar, a second dish with meat and potatoes followed by a thin soup and a little dessert all for around 6 pesos (one pound). One evening we tried llama in a very nice restaurant and found it was delicious. We’ll be looking out for more of that in Bolivia!

After Humahuaca, the last touristy village in the valley, which was especially beautiful with narrow cobbled streets and traditional colonial adobe houses, we had a last long climb to reach 3780m the highest point in the valley. Here we arrived on a huge high plain inhabited only by a few tough locals and lots of llamas, birds and some endangered Vicunas which are from the llama family but are much more dainty and look more like Bambi. Fortunately as we’d climbed the valley gradually we had no problems with the altitude and didn’t need to chew Coca leaves as recommended by an Argentinean cyclist we met lower in the Valley. From the pass we descended a little to reach the dusty, windy village of Abra Pampa where we spent our last night in Argentina resting our tired legs in bed eating empanadas!

The following day was quick dash to the border town of Villazon through not very interesting altiplano like scenery. No trees, just huge plains with some mountains around and more llamas! Motivated to reach Villazon in time for a last Argentinean Almuerzo (lunch remember!) before hitting the dubious food in Bolivia we broke our speed record and did more than 70km at over 20kmph!

We were excited to go to Bolivia because it seems it will really be something completely different and a new adventure but at the same time we were really sad to leave Argentina and especially the Argentines behind. They have been consistently kind, friendly, outgoing and helpful with a 'Joie de Vivre' that has remained intact even though they have their fair share of problems, especially with the economic crisis of recent years. However, as you may have noticed we never actually made it to Buenos Aires which means that we will have to return to this beautiful country sometime in the future. So in fact it’s not actually 'Adios Argentina' as my title suggests rather 'Hasta Luego'!!!

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